Thor'sLinks: Garrett merits as Kole rolls.

They are doing it again. For some reason, people who write for a living need to have the ability to write about what player is "The Face of Baseball". Some go out and do surveys, others question the methodology of surveys, fans bicker back and forth. Blah blah blah. As I have pointed out, all you gotta do is open your eyes. It happens all by itself, and it is happening. Just dial up the Wayback Machine and look at the sporting Internet last week, as we approached Opening Day and everyone was trying to draw attention to their articles. Whose image was the one you saw most often? Yep, and all those were articles going out nationally, and internationally. When they needed to put their own work on the line, the face they used to identify baseball, and draw attention to themselves, was Mike Trout............

Rougned Odor, toughest guy in baseball? Or maybe still a guy who has not yet encountered his waterloo?.............

Here it comes. The third game of the season for the Padres. Jered Weaver takes the mound for the Pads against the Dodgers...........

We already know that the Marlins are for sale. What we don't know is who will be the lucky winner that we shall honor for taking Jeffrey Loria off our national dance floor? Of late are the possibilities of Jeb Bush, and Derek Jeter...........

Pedro Guerrero is fighting tough, and hanging in there. He is out of his coma, and talking with family, after having suffered (another) massive stroke.............

Man, if you ever want to make a case for the Designated Hitter, just take a fresh angle on the study of how pitchers add offensive value. While nice and fun numbers for pitchers, there is really not a lot of there, there. Certainly not much to worked up about, considering how many guys total are in the pool from which they are drawing.............

Seriously, it occurs to me that MLB should be encouraging minor league players to promote their journey to the Major Leagues using social media. First, it's a great way to connect to up and coming generations of fans. And, second, it's a great way to watch career Darwinism at work. What do I mean by that? I mean that it allows the prospects that are too dumb to stay out of trouble, to advertise that fact to their future potential employers............

Hey Mets, your pitching staff is getting decimated by injuries. We know how you feel. Do we have any sympathy for you, however? What? You didn't give a shit about us last year? Yeah, about that.............

Suzy Waldman, Yankees broadcaster, makes a claim that turns out to be bogus, and New York City goes apeshit. As if Clint Frazier doesn't have enough to deal with...........

This is something I should take up when I retire. I used to repair gloves in the neighborhood when I was a kid. No tool, not training, no skills, but a very strong sense of MacGyver flowing through my veins. Now I have a lifetime of tool handling, mountains of handcrafted success stories, and a workshop just itching for things to conquer. And, still, a strong sense of MacGyver flowing through my veins...........

.Hey, not all of you living here in Orange County. If you live near one of these parks, and love the idea of a meet-and-greet with Baseball Prospectus writers, and local Front Office personnel, you are in luck...........

Keep tabs on Disney, as they plan to rule the world of streaming that many of you have already fled over to, pretty much in your attempt to evade the grasp of Disney...........

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The Duffle Bag